Many food compositions contain a fat phase which for the major part consists of liquid oil. Often in such fat phase a structuring fat, a so-called hardstock fat is incorporated. The fat phase is prepared by blending the liquid oil and the liquefied hardstock fat at increased temperature and cooling the blend to ambient temperature. The fat blend becomes structured by a lattice of fat crystals which function is to inhibit phase separation when an aqueous or solid phase needs to be stably dispersed in the fat phase.
Until recently for selecting a vegetable hardstock fat only the following options were available:                An (unprocessed) fat which is natural but which causes a waxy mouthfeel when used in the necessarily (high) concentrations for the preparation of e.g. a low fat spread which has to withstand relatively high ambient temperatures (20° –25° C.),        A fat prepared by interesterification of a natural fat or a fraction of a natural fat with a lauric fat or a fraction of lauric fat. Such fat does not cause a waxy mouthfeel when used in the same spread preparation. However, it has other drawbacks: it can not impart satisfactory heat stability and it contains an undesired amount of lauric acid residues. Apart from nutritional objections, the presence of lauric fatty acid residues introduces the risk that off-taste will develop during storage of a food composition in which lipolytic activity may occur.        A hydrogenated, so non-natural fat, preferably the widely used and renown fully hydrogenated palm oil. When used in said spread preparation this fat combines good heat stability and satisfactory mouthfeel. These qualities are not yet both existent in a non-hydrogenated hardstock fat. A fat qualifies as non-hydrogenated when neither in its preparation process, nor in obtaining its starting fat or fats hydrogenation has been applied.        
Presently, in processes for edible fat preparation the use of hydrogenation preferably is avoided. However, a triglyceride fat with a good structuring performance needs a considerable amount of fatty acid residues having a saturated chain of at least 16 carbon atoms (C16+), particularly of stearic acid residues. In natural vegetable fats stearic acid is a rather rare fatty acid, but the corresponding unsaturated C18 fatty acids such as oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid are abundant. So hydrogenation is unavoidable for their transformation into stearic acid.
The demand for high quality low fat spreads of which the continuous fat phase does not exceed 50 wt. % on spread is ever increasing. For a high temperature stability of such spread an extremely effective hardstock fat is required. In the absence of such fat one has to rely on an increased concentration of one of the present hardstock fats for ensuring emulsion stability. Such increase means a relatively high content of undesired saturated fatty acids in the spread which necessarily causes a waxy mouthfeel.
In recently filed co-pending patent applications 01997222.3 and 01997223.1 the use is claimed of the natural fats Allanblackia fat and Pentadesma fat for spread manufacture. On account of their naturally high content of stearic acid and of the presence of specific structuring triglycerides these fats possess excellent structuring functionality even without modification.
Copending non-prepublished patent application PCT/EP03/02625 describes a fat phase which enables the preparation of low-fat spreads which are heat stable and exhibit good mouthfeel. A fat A used for the preparation of that fat phase is characterized by a low amount of saturated monoacyl triglycerides. It is used in admixture with a fat B which is characterized by a relatively high amount of H2M triglycerides. H denotes saturated fatty acid residues having a chain of at least 16 carbon atoms, M denotes saturated fatty acid residues having a chain of 12 or 14 carbon atoms. In these compositions the realisation of H in H2M is predominantly palmitic acid while the contribution by fat A is a defined mixture of both stearic and palmitic acid. It is the combination of both the H2M-fat and fat A which is suggested to cause the unique benificial functionality.
Now fat A has been found to exhibit as such good liquid oil structuring properties. Fat A is distinguished from hydrogenated palm oil in that it is obtained by a process avoiding hydrogenation or the use of hydrogenated fats. The present invention comprises only fat A which is non-hydrogenated.